[Source: Reuters]

Champions Manchester City could only muster a 2-2 Premier League draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, dropping points in a blow to their hopes of playing European football next season.

Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush struck for Pep Guardiola’s men, but Brighton equalised with a second-half own goal by City defender Abdukodir Khusanov after Pervis Estupinan had scored the visitors’ first.

The draw which felt like a defeat kept City provisionally fifth in the Premier League table on 48 points after 29 games. Brighton are a point behind in seventh.

City survived an early scare when Kaoru Mitoma celebrated what he thought was a goal for the visitors, but VAR determined the ball had touched the midfielder’s arm and the effort as disallowed.

Haaland struck from the penalty spot in the 11th minute for his 21st league goal of the season, sending goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen the wrong way after Marmoush was brought down by Adam Webster.

The 24-year-old Norwegian made history in the process, becoming the quickest player to reach 100 goal involvements in the Premier League in 94 matches. Alan Shearer had achieved the feat in 100 games.

Estupinan levelled 10 minutes later with his first league goal since December 2023 when he caught goalkeeper Stefan Ortega flat-footed with a brilliant free kick from 22 yards out that flew in off the post.

City reclaimed the lead through Marmoush’s 39th-minute goal, with Ilkay Gundogan laying the ball off for the Egyptian who unleashed a blistering shot into the net.

Khusanov’s attempt to clear Webster’s header from a corner soon after the interval drew the visitors level once again. The goal was the 40th conceded by City in the league this season, their most in a single campaign under Guardiola.

The dying minutes featured near-misses for both teams. City’s Nico Gonzalez sent a header off the post, and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba squandered a simple chance, launching the ball over the crossbar as manager Fabian Hurzeler held his head in disbelief and Baleba dropped to his knees.

The draw ended Brighton’s four-game league winning run.

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